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Your opinion? Ottawa's top 10 "must see/ do" things?

I’ve been asked to guest blog for a US travel blog, Got Saga www.gotsaga.com , about the top 10 things to do and see in Ottawa. I started putting a list together very quickly – I certainly knew my favourite spots. But then I wondered – would others around the city come up with the same list? Would our fave spots differ widely?

I knew there were likely treasure troves specific to a region of the city …So, I put the question out to my friends on facebook, linked in, and twitter – and the responses I received were plentiful and varied. I was unfamiliar with some of the parks suggested – I personally didn’t know Mud Lake or Remic Rapids until a tweep/ fb friend mentioned them (so, I have new haunts to discover – remember, I’m a Newfoundlander, and Ottawa is my adopted home…)

First up, I decided to focus on more than just strict city limits. This list might possible entice folks to visit Ottawa – and no visit of Ottawa should exclude the Gats.

Second up, I couldn’t restrict it to a particular season – the canal offers terrific activities for all seasons, but the RCMP musical ride doesn’t offer much excitement in the dead of February.

Third up, I’ve left 24 Sussex off the list – because you can’t really go in to browse around (but if you like drive-bys, we could add too).

Fourth up, I grouped items. Some expressed preferences for specific components – such as the East Block on Parliament Hill, Pink Lake in Gatineau Park, a food tour of the Byward Market, the locks along the canal with a mandatory visit to get a beavertail, etc.. – but I couldn’t have a list of 100…

I quickly realized I still had way more than 10 things that were “must see/ do” for Ottawa, and would be challenged to come up with a ranking…